Page 153 - Microsoft Word - Annual Report 2016

tablets are still in use and circulation, but are used for creating content, and often are used in group work
and project development. Spofford Pond’s interactive boards are a higher-need area of investment, as
more boards are failing or non-functional than at HLC.

Technology Investment: As our technology investment grows, so too does our Information Technology
(IT) infrastructure needs. This means that we must invest in our IT staff and infrastructure accordingly, to
ensure that existing devices work effectively, and that we strategically plan for future needs. In both
schools, we are proposing to increase the number of devices. Because teachers have more access, and
with the support of principals, digital learning specialists, IT support and the Director of Educational
Technology, technology integration has become a regular part of daily classroom instruction, teaching and
learning. Technology is now viewed and utilized as a regular utility that must work effectively and
reliably, as a result, it is a regular investment that needs to be maintained on a consistent basis in order to
ensure the smooth operation of our increasingly technology-based learning in the schools.

Internet Connectivity: Our current Wi-Fi network is at a 100mbps duplex fiber optic (steady state
guaranteed) connection, which has been adequate for our schools’ needs. Teachers and students have
reported little to no connectivity problems, and utilization of our digital devices continues to increase as
the reliability of our fleet of devices, technical support, and network infrastructure has improved.

Google Suite: The Boxford Public Schools and all schools across Tri-Town Union have shifted our email
and calendar to Google Applications for Education (GAFE). We are in the process of shifting our storage
of files to Google Drive, which is a cloud-based storage solution. Our email, calendars and files are stored
in boxfordschools.org accounts, directly to Google servers. GAFE is free for schools, with unlimited
storage, for educators and students alike. It can be accessed wherever there is Internet access and on any
device: computer, tablet, or smartphone. As a district, we are using GAFE to collaborate, communicate
and teach students digital citizenship, as we prepare them for a global society in which interconnectedness
is part of everyday life as citizens and employees. GAFE continues to provide efficiencies for staff and
students alike, and has provided the ability for students to track their work and start developing an
electronic portfolio of work.

Communication: Our external and internal communication systems are not keeping up with the level of
technology our schools are using and the sophistication with which we are teaching students and
facilitating learning. Internally, we have a very outdated Student Information System (SIS). Currently, the
tool we are using is static, and provides very rudimentary and basic student information (e.g. student
addresses, state ID numbers) to one administrative assistant in each building. Our needs as a district and
as a school union have outgrown our current tool. Our current SIS collects very limited data and does not
provide reports and data which would assist administrative assistants, principals, teachers and the Central
Office with efficiencies in collecting data about student progress. The current SIS that are used across
Massachusetts allow schools to track student biographical information, provide secure reports to
administrative assistants, principals, teachers, and the Central Office, communicate effectively with
parents/guardians, provide state data to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education, track student interventions, create standards-based report cards, and integrate school-based
communication via email. As a way to track student data, the vast majority of Massachusetts districts are
using updated SIS tools, and the Boxford Public Schools and Tri-Town Union are unable to effectively
manage our data and communication without an updated SIS. We are preparing to write an RFP (request
for proposals) to seek an updated, effective SIS for Boxford Public Schools and Tri-Town Union. Further
in the future, we will assess our external communication tools (e.g. website, applications, social media) to
develop a strategic plan to effectively communicate with parents/guardians and the community to share